


Hide Your Fires

by Golddisaster



Category: Formula 1 RPF, Formula E RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Urban Fantasy, Curses, Frankly irresponsible magic use, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-25
Updated: 2016-07-25
Packaged: 2018-07-26 17:16:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,558
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7582888
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Golddisaster/pseuds/Golddisaster
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nico Prost would kill for a normal job, but nothing is normal when you're working in a magical emporium. One day the shop gets an unusual costumer, a completely normal human named Bruno, who will unintentionally turn the shop upside-down.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Hide Your Fires

**Author's Note:**

> I uh... this idea wouldn't leave me alone.

“It’ll be fun!” Nico muttered to himself, rolling his eyes.

“After all, it’s not like it’s a mundane shop.” Nico continued, imitating his father’s voice from earlier that summer. His father had been horribly wrong, a magical items shop could be just as boring as a mundane supermarket. At least at a supermarket the cash register wasn’t a hundred-and-thirty year old antique pain in the ass. If anything, Nico wished he could work in a regular supermarket. After all, it wasn't like produce ran away, or screamed at costumers as they shopped. Never mind the fact that everyone who came in was an old witch, or mage, and they were all friends of his father who were intent on pinching his cheeks come check-out. Nico was half convinced that he was the only mage under forty around here.

He sighed and settled back on his rickety chair, picking up a pencil and doodling on the blank office pad next to the register, when he heard the door chime ring. Nico barely glanced up, expecting to see a familiar face, but he did not. Nico looked up more, eyes widening. A tall young man, probably around his age, stood in the door, looking around in wonder the high walls, covered in books of all shapes and sizes. Nico struggled to remember the greeting he’d been taught on his first day at the shop.

“Welcome to Elebaster’s Exotic Emporium,” Nico said suddenly, a little too quickly, making the man jump with surprise, turning his head to look at Nico, “can I help you?” Nico finished as he got a better look at the man. The stranger was definitely around his age, tall, lean, dark hair and a friendly face. He was a fantastic change of pace from the usual costumers. 

“Oh, sorry, I didn’t see you there!” The man exclaimed, coming up to the counter, a smile on his face. “I’m looking for a book. Or, I’ve been looking for a book for a while.” He chuckled. “It seems like your store is the only place that has it.” Nico blinked. This man wasn’t a mage, that much he could figure out. 

“What book are you looking for?” Nico asked, trying to keep calm. Only those with magic could find places like the Emporium, how had this man gotten here? 

“An illustrated book, or something. I have it down here,” The man said, pulling his phone out of his pocket, opening his note app, showing it to Nico. Nico looked at it. The title made it sound like a illustrated compendium of fantastic beasts. Nico gave the man a confused look, brow furrowing. 

“It’s for my younger sister, she wanted it for her birthday.” The man explained, putting his phone away.

“Your website said it was in stock.”

 “Website?” Nico asked. Of course he knew what the internet was, it wasn’t like he lived in the dark ages like most of the witches and mages around here. He would have used the internet in the shop, if the shop had any Wifi, which it didn’t. But as far as he knew, the Emporium didn’t have a website. The man nodded. 

"Is it not in stock anymore?" He asked worriedly. Nico shook his head. 

"No, we have it. Further in the shop, go down the right hallway, books are organized by the author's last name." Nico explained, nodding in the direction he meant.

The stranger nodded, and then smiled at Nico. 

"Thanks, Mr...?" The man trailed off. 

"Nico, just Nico." Nico answered. The thought of being called "Mr" made him gag a little, it made him sound like his father. The man nodded, smiling. 

"Bruno." He offered in turn, before starting towards the halls. "Thanks again!" He called, before disappearing around a corner. 

"No problem!" Nico yelled back, listening carefully. Everything was quiet for a few minutes. Nico relaxed, picking up his pencil again and continued where he left off on the office pad. Nico jolted out of his chair as he heard a scream, unnaturally high pitched, mixed with a much more natural yelp as he sprinted towards the back of the Emporium. He stopped at a fork in the store, leading down two corridors. The right stretched back farther than he could see, covered in trinkets and books. The left hall was a greenroom, marked so by a run-down wooden sign above a mottled glass door. The door was ajar, and Nico rushed in. He found Bruno with his hands over his ears, standing in the middle of the greenroom, a mandrake half out of its cracked pot, screaming its lungs out at the hapless man. 

_“Buffering spell, buffering spell!”_ Nico thought to himself through the pain in his ears, bringing his hand up. He drew a circle in the air, a faint white outline following his finger, an identical circle appearing on the mandrake’s forehead, as Bruno watched, eyes wide. Nico moved quickly, drawing intricate designs within the circle that were second nature to him now, moving his hand away once he was done with the rune, the circle fading in the air and glowing brighter on the mandrake’s forehead, silencing it as the rune faded away. Nico sighed, running a hand through his hair as Bruno drew his hands away from his ears, staring at the mandrake who was still looked like it was screaming, but no noise came from it. 

“I… how? What?” Bruno asked in disbelief, turning to look at Nico. Nico pressed his lips together, trying not to scream as he noticed the plants behind Bruno, their bright blue petals folded and formed like dragon heads, their stems straining to nip at Bruno’s curls, making pipping noises and whines. 

“Back, now.” Nico said sternly to the flowers, the plants instantly retreating at Nico’s voice. Bruno turned to see the flowers trembling, a few of them sticking their stamens out at him, like tongues. Bruno turned to Nico, desperate for an explanation. 

“Snapdragons.” Nico said. “They’re… less than well-behaved.” 

“This… this isn’t a normal shop.” Bruno said, clearly in shock, staring around the greenery, at the snapdragons, the still-screaming mandrake, creeping vines that reached out to him, their dark leaves folding into outstretched hands. He didn't want to know why lay beyond in the even denser greenery in the back of the greenhouse.

“No. No it is not.” Nico said lightly, turning Bruno around and gently pushing him out of the greenroom. Bruno blinked as Nico closed the greenroom’s glass door, goosebumps rising on his arms at how cool the store air was compared to the greenhouse, disappearing down the darkened right-hand hall, Bruno’s original destination. Bruno could hear something slide down the hall, followed by the sound of someone climbing up something, a heavy thud and a French cuss. Nico reappeared a few moments later, covered in a light layer of dust, and holding the book Bruno had been searching for. Nico held out the book to Bruno, and Bruno accepted it with a shaking hand. 

“I need to run it up at the counter.” Nico said, nodding his head toward the front of the Emporium. Bruno nodded numbly, following Nico. Nico slid the book across the counter, going to the cash register and ringing it up. 

"That will be thirty pounds." Nico said, wrapping the book up and placing it in one of the Emporium's black, nondescript bags. Bruno somehow managed to get the money from his wallet, and hand it to Nico. He hit the lever on the cash register, opening the till box that was full of all kinds of currency. British pounds, American dollars, pieces of eight, Roman drachmas with Julius Caesar's face pressed into the side, ancient Greek coins of all shapes and sizes. Nico placed the money into the right slot, and forced it closed, handing the bag to Bruno. 

"Thank you for your patronage." Nico said politely. Bruno nodded, his face still pale from shock, and he left the store, the chime ringing as he opened and closed the door.  
Nico glanced at the door, a sharp pang resonating through his chest. 

_"I'll never see him again."_ Nico thought. He wasn't sure if the thought was supposed to be reassuring, or saddening. He sighed and settled back on his chair, only to jump a second later when the door chime rang again, Bruno sticking his head in hesitantly. 

"I ah... I just noticed the "help wanted" sign." Bruno said sheepishly, steeping into the store again. 

"Sign?" Nico asked. He hadn't seen a sign when he came in, but when he glanced out the window, lo and behold, he saw the backside of a black "Help Wanted" sign in the corner. Damn magical shops. 

"Do you have a form or something I can fill out?" Bruno asked, still sounding somewhat shy. Nico blinked. 

"I..." Nico looked around, before noticing his yellow office pad had turned into a small stack of employment forms. He took it off the pile and handed it to Bruno, heart pounding. Bruno glanced at it, smiled, and put it in the Emporium bag. 

"Thank you, I've been looking for a summer job." Bruno explained, scratching the back of his head. 

"Might as well try applying, right?" Bruno asked with a grin. Nico chuckled. He wouldn't mind a little company, come to think of it.


End file.
